


When The Light Goes Out, The House Is Dark (But Danno's Right Here)

by lcdrsuperseal



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: 9.10 coda, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Protect Steve McGarrett at all costs, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-15 05:32:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16927380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lcdrsuperseal/pseuds/lcdrsuperseal
Summary: A coda of sorts to 9.10, so spoilers ahead. The ep gave me ideas for four prompts, four ways in which to slot Danny into a episode that Steve so desperately needed him in (I can't get his poor sad face from the ending out of my head).1. Steve calling Danny after the attack in his kitchen.2. “Don’t wait as long as I did to find someone, Steve.”3. “I never would have gone onto the SEALS, to Five-0… to Danny.”4. “That spot under the tree, looking at the mountains… it was so beautiful. Any other time, I’d have took you there, Danny.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title is based from the episode title, but like the ep it was missing a certain someone.

“Hey, maybe we should call Danny?” Adam asked.

Steve cringed as he remembered their conversation. “I already did, after I called Joe…”

* * *

 

_ Steve winced as he slumped back against his kitchen cupboards and fumbled with his cell phone, his heart in his throat as he hit the ‘call’ button on Danny’s contact page. _

_ “Steve? What’s up, it’s kinda early there isn’t it? You just got back from your swim?” Danny’s voice did calm him initially, but then the gravity of what he was about to say sunk in. _

_ “Yeah… sorry, I forgot about the time difference.” Steve sucked in a mouthful of oxygen before he pressed a balled-up tea towel onto the wound to his thigh, but couldn’t hold back the cry of pain that it caused. _

_ “Steve? Hey, what’s going on? Are you alright?” Danny frantically asked, and Steve grimaced as yet again his actions meant more distress for his partner. _

_ “So I, uh… I had a visitor this morning…” Steve quickly told Danny what happened, wisely leaving out the fact that he was still sitting in a large pool of blood. _

_ “Shit Steve… are you sure you’re alright? You know what, I’m Skyping you, so you can’t lie to me.” Danny said. The call ended, and Steve waited a few seconds before accepting his lover’s Skype call. In hindsight, he probably should have wiped his face first. _

_ Steve couldn’t help but grin when he saw Danny, clearly in bed as his blonde hair splayed against his pillow as he lay on his side. “Hey, Danno.” _

_ “Please tell me that’s not entirely your blood I can see?” _

_ “No…” Steve admitted, making sure not to let the shaking hand that was holding his phone drop so that Danny couldn’t see his legs and the bloody floor. _

_ “Hmm okay… I see your head, chest, and is that your shoulder?” Danny sighed, and Steve knew that his partner wished that he was there in person. “Anything else that I can’t see, babe?” _

_ Steve carefully shook his head, glad that Danny seemed to believe him as he remained silent. But Steve knew that a quiet Danny was never a good thing, and he had a sneaking suspicion what he was thinking about. _

_ “No. Please stay where you are, Danno.” Steve begged. “Please. I need you and Grace to be safe.” _

_ “What?! How can you say that, we’re partners Steve!” _

_ It wasn’t a lie - their safety was paramount, and he didn’t know what lengths whoever wanted him dead would go to in order to make it happen. But on the other hand… for once he wanted to be selfish. He wanted Danny here to help him, comfort him. He wanted Danny to be here for him. He just… wanted Danny. _

_ Steve furiously blinked back tears that were threatening to escape. He needed to be strong for Danny. “I’m gonna phone the team, get them over here… I’ll be alright, Danno.” he managed to say, not liking how wobbly his voice sounded _

_ The use of his nickname seemed to do the job of defusing some of Danny’s argument, or maybe it was the desperation on Steve’s face. “... Fine, we’ll stay here. But you, my friend, you…” Steve sniffed, wishing once again that he wasn’t the source of his lover’s upset, “You keep me in the loop, you hear me? Or the team, or Joe, I don’t care who tells me, as long as they tell me what’s going on with you. I have to know, Steve.” _

_ “... okay.” Steve knew he shouldn’t really make that promise to Danny, that for his and Grace’s safety his location should be top secret. But he knew that if he didn’t Danny would find out another way, and at least this way he’d be the one to deliver any information, be it good or bad. Plus, he’d never hear the end of it if Danny found out that Steve was in trouble from someone else other than him. “I’ll do my best, Danno.” _

_ Danny’s smile, the smile that Steve loves so much, lifted some of the tension from his shoulders. “Thank you babe… Right, you need to clean yourself up and call Lou and everyone. And speak to me later, yeah? I don’t care what time it is or if you use a burner phone, I’ll pick up. And babe… be careful, yeah? We all want you to come home safe.” _

_ “I know, Danny… I love you.” _

_ “Danno loves you too, babe.” _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Don’t wait as long as I did to find someone, Steve. I sat out too long…. I don’t want that to happen to you.”  
>  Steve opened his mouth to speak, but promptly closed it again without saying anything._

“Don’t wait as long as I did to find someone, Steve. I sat out too long…. I don’t want that to happen to you.”

Steve opened his mouth to speak, but promptly closed it again without saying anything. He didn’t know how what he  _ so badly _ wanted to say would be received, but… Joe deserved to know. Hell, he was practically a second father to him - but yet still didn’t know the most important thing about him. Deep down, Steve knew why he’d kept his relationship with Danny from Joe; after all they’d been through, he didn’t want to disappoint him. Not that he was ashamed of his sexuality or his relationship by any means - absolutely  _ not  _ \- but Joe was of a different generation to him, shaped by his military career.

Steve still remembered the look on his face when he’d caught him behind the dorms at the Navy academy with Freddie - Joe had a strange look on his face that Steve couldn’t decipher once he’d spotted him and sprung apart from him, who’d bolted from the scene as soon as he could. Steve could feel his heart thumping as he waited for Joe to say something,  _ anything _ \- but his mentor simply shook his head before walking away, leaving a shaken Steve to sag against the wall of his dorm.

“I… I have, Joe.” Steve finally admitted as he continued to load his gun. “I’ve found someone, and I’m so happy about it.”

“You have? Well come on, son, who is she?”

Steve cringed, but swallowed past the lump in his throat.  _ Well, I guess it’s now or never… _

“Someone who gives me a reason to get up in the mornings, who loves me for who I am even with all of my issues. Who’s given me a family.” He smiled as he thought of Grace and Charlie.

Joe nodded as he slowly blinked. “Sounds like the real deal there, Steve.”

“Yeah…  _ he is. _ ”

Steve daren’t look behind him, choosing instead to continue focusing on staring out of the window and checking that Cole had set their traps. The silence that followed was unnerving; half of Steve just wanted Joe to say whatever he had to say, but then he also wanted to delay the inevitable.

He was so zoned out and focused on the task in hand that he didn’t notice Joe approach him until the man clapped him on the shoulder, and Steve couldn’t hide his flinch.

“Steve?” Joe asked quietly. “... Danny?”

“Danny… I-I love him, Joe.” Steve admitted. After a few seconds of neither man saying anything, Steve steeled himself and chanced a look to his right. And almost crumbled at the smile on Joe’s face.

“You’re not… surprised? That I’m...” Steve whispered.

“I had my suspicions ever since I caught you with Freddie,” Joe’s smile faltered slightly at the mention of their fallen friend, “But I wasn’t sure if you’d ever tell me. Did you tell your dad?”

Steve dropped his chin to his chest before shaking his head. “I tried, but I never… never found the right time.” He drew his bottom lip between his teeth. Right before a gunfight might not have been the best time to tell Joe that he was gay - but a small smile crept up onto his face as he pictured Danny’s reaction, complete with hand gestures.  _ “Of course you choose a time when you’re surrounded by guns to come out, I mean why wouldn’t you?” _

A sound from outside drew both their attention away from the sensitive conversation, and Steve sighed in relief at the distraction. “Looks like our company’s here.”

“Alright then,” Joe patted Steve on the back before returning to his mounted gun. “But we’ll finish this later, son.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Steve couldn't believe that this was happening. Not now. His life was finally on track, he'd got a family, he and Danny had seen sense and quit the restaurant - he belonged in the field, and Danny was happy to follow him - and he'd finally admitted to the man that he respected the most, the man who'd helped to shape his life, that he was in love with Danny._
> 
> _But it seemed the universe yet again was set on ripping the floor out from under Steve McGarrett's feet._
> 
> _"I called off the medivac."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features some of the dialogue from the episode, some of which I've tweaked to incorporate McDanno & Steve's emotions. Hope it works!

Steve couldn't believe that this was happening. Not now. His life was finally on track, he'd got a family, he and Danny had seen sense and quit the restaurant - he belonged in the field, and Danny was happy to follow him - and he'd _finally_ admitted to the man that he respected the most, the man who'd helped to shape his life, that he was in love with Danny.

But it seemed the universe yet again was set on ripping the floor out from under Steve McGarrett's feet.

_"I called off the medivac."_

" _NO!"_  Steve turned away briefly, before turning back full of rage. "What's the matter with you?! Get back on the horse, c'mon."

"No… it's useless, Steve." Joe pushed back against Steve as he tried to steer him back towards the horses.

"What are you talkin' about?" Steve shouted, one hand gripping Joe's jacket. "So what are you gonna do - give up? That's not you, that's not what you do. That's not  _us._ "

"Okay, y'know what?" Steve pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna get that medivac back in the air, okay? You're not gonna fight? Alright - I'll fight.  _I'LL FIGHT!_ " He could already feel the tears stinging his eyes, but they couldn't show. Not yet. He needed as few distractions as possible.

But then Joe showed him exactly  _where_  he was shot - and the irony of it being his fucking  _liver_  was not lost on Steve. Of all the places… it made it ten times worse. Joe didn't have a Danny to give him half of his liver like he did for Steve.

The transplant may have been just over two years ago, but that didn't mean that Steve had made peace with it. He still had nightmares about being in that plane, about his life slipping away from underneath Danny's hands - literally. The transplant scar pulled at the fresh skin around it every now and again, reminding Steve of its existence if he moved the wrong way. The feeling that he had back on the plane was the most scared he'd ever been - but now… now it's joint first place.

Steve didn't know what to do; it wasn't often that he felt like this, and he hated it. He felt powerless to do anything - he was a powerful Navy SEAL (okay fine,  _ex_  SEAL), had just survived two attempts on his life by professional hitmen, had just seen another former teammate killed by an RPG… and now he had to watch a man who had become a second father to him die.

"Joe. Joe, Joe, Joe, look at me." Steve grasped the older man's head in both of his hands. "Look at me. Please get back on the horse. Okay, please? I mean, there's… there's gotta be somewhere, we'll go now."

"I didn't wanna lie to you," Joe said as he gripped Steve's shoulders, "I wanted to see this place again… You gonna give me a hand or what?"

Steve looked back at the aforementioned tree, before quickly getting a hold of Joe to steady him for the thankfully short stagger over. He carefully lowered the injured man to the ground so he could hastily divest himself of his tac vest, throwing it on the ground and kneeling beside Joe. Steve pressed his hand over Joe's that was still holding the bloody rag against the gunshot wound, and hoped that his face didn't show just how fucking scared he was.

Both men breathed heavily, Joe in pain and Steve in adrenaline and fear, but then Steve brought up him stealing that car when he was sixteen.

"Why would you do a dumb thing like that?" Joe chuckled.

"Well, I dunno, I thought my mother was dead… my father just shipped me off like I was a  _parcel…_  I dunno. I just wanted to get the hell outta there, get back to Hawaii any way I could."

"Your mother had people watching you… she got wind of the arrest and put in some calls. I was happy to do it." Joe said.

Steve could tell that Joe was getting weaker, that time was running out, and he was so glad that he'd told him about his relationship with Danny now.

"Yeah, well… That night changed the course of my life, Joe." Steve tried to keep his breathing even, a lifelong habit of trying not to show any weakness was crumbling. "If I hadn't gotten off with that warning, I never would have gotten onto the SEALS, to Five-0… to Danny." He couldn't help the small twitch at the corner of his mouth at the mention and thought of his partner. "They say that everything that happens in your life for a reason, to get you a certain point? That's how it feels… everything I've done, good and bad, brought me to Danny."

Steve swallowed past the lump in his throat. "You… you made it possible for me to meet him, Joe. He makes me so happy every day. I just… thank you so much, and 'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I know this probably isn't what you wanted for me-"

"Have you lost your mind?" Joe huffed out a laugh at the stunned expression on his friend - of all the replies Steve expected Joe to give, this was not one of them. "I-I had a feeling there was something with you and Danny. And you've thanked me plenty, every day since, with the man you've become, with the work you've done. Don't you see that?"

Steve grasped at Joe when he tried to pull him closer, and instead tugged his mentor against his chest. "I gotcha, okay? I gotcha." He said quietly, one hand on Joe's head. "Yeah, I see it. I just… needed to say it. Wanted to say it."

"Does your mother," Joe sucked in a couple of breaths, "Does she know… about you? And Danny?"

"No." Steve's voice didn't wobble then.

"Do me one thing, Steve…"

"Anything, Joe."

"Tell her… that you're happy. Trust me, she worries about you."

"Funny way of showing it." Steve muttered with a scowl on his face. He couldn't help it; no matter what the future held for his relationship with Doris, he was going to be torn up about the past for a long time.

"Steve." Joe's expression reminded him of his training days when Joe was his CO, and he sighed in defeat.

"I know. Okay, I'll… I'll work something out." Steve hugged him closer.

"Listen… the way I looked out for you, is the way that you watch over the people in your life now. Of your family. I couldn't be prouder… of the man you've become."

Steve could feel his composure slipping away with each passing second, and he was doing a good job of holding onto it if he said so himself… and then Joe mentioned the sunset. That was it, the floodgates were opened and Steve couldn't stop the tears from coming. While he wished that Danny was here, he was also glad that it was just him and Joe. And he had to admit, the view was breathtaking to behold at a time like this.

"I'm glad that you told me… before." Joe breathed out, and Steve nodded against him as he screwed his eyes shut. "Glad you're finally happy."

And then Steve glanced down and saw that Joe wasn't breathing. A gut-wrenching cry erupted from him, and he pressed his head against Joe's as he rocked his body from side to side.

* * *

Later, when the medivac touched down (Steve reckons Junior had ignored Joe's request to cancel it) and an EMT placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, he clung tighter to Joe's body.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we need to take him now."

Fresh tears trickled down Steve's cheeks as Joe was slowly pulled out of his tight embrace, and he slumped against the tree to watch him be loaded into the helicopter.

"Commander McGarrett?"

Steve blinked and followed the EMT with his eyes as he squatted in front of him. "I asked if you were injured anywhere?"

"I'm fine." He mumbled, his gaze drifting back to the chopper. It was as if everything after that was moving in slow motion and silence; Steve sat motionless as his cuts and grazes were patched up, and it was as if he blinked and the next second he was back at Joe's ranch… Joe's  _covered-in-bullet-holes-and-blood_  ranch.

Steve was selfishly pleased that Cole's body had gone - he remembered telling the EMT about that, he didn't think he could deal with another friend's corpse today - along with the bodies of their attackers. He ran a shaking hand down his face as he surveyed the damage around him before letting out a big sigh, wincing as his ribs protested.

As he wandered around the house, his eyes caught Joe's bag, and the photo of him with his 'girlfriend' from Nairobi peeking out of a pocket. Steve's eyes stung, but at least it reminded him of something he wanted to do ever since he'd slumped against that fabulous tree, and he fumbled in his pocket for his cell phone. Slow fingers and thumbs were almost his downfall, but eventually he found what he was after and hit the 'call button'.

"Danny?" Steve forced his mouth and tongue to work and form the words that he wanted to say, ignoring how hoarse his voice sounded. "Hey…"

" _Hey babe… what's going on? Are you alright? You hurt?"_

Steve screwed his face up, lips pursed to trap the sob he could feel about to burst out, before shaking his head and letting it out anyway.

"No, Danno… I'm not okay."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _From the outside, it looked exactly as he expected. The yard had burned out cars with bullet holes in them, there were bullet holes in the walls of the house, and then he clocked the pile of used guns (and is that an RPG?! Jesus Christ, Steve) on the porch. Danny shook his head, he didn't even want to imagine the fight that happened here that ended up taking the lives of two of Steve's friends._
> 
> _But then the front door opened and Steve appeared, and Danny did a double take._

Danny was very fortunate that they were on the last day of the college tour, so as soon as they were done he got Grace and himself onto the next flight to Hawaii.

"Is Uncle Steve in trouble again?" Grace asked once the seatbelt signs had been turned off.

Danny groaned internally. "What makes you say that?"

"Because normally when you're like this, it's because of him." Grace said nervously, fiddling with her bottle of water. She glanced a look at Danny after a minute of silence. "He is, isn't he?"

"He is… but that's not why I'm going." Danny rubbed the back of his neck as he thought of the right words - why did Steve's family have to be so complicated? "Do you remember Steve's friend Joe White?" Grace nodded. "He was Steve's mentor in the Navy, and was almost like another dad to him. Well… he's died."

Grace tucked her chin to her chest. "Oh no… He must be really upset."

"Yeah, he's not good, monkey." Danny tucked her under his arm. "So we're all going to help him."

"Then he can come home?"

Danny smiled. "Exactly."

As soon as Grace was back at Rachel's, Danny turned back around and headed to Steve's. He grabbed the nearest bag and crammed it full of clothes and other essentials, not forgetting to through in stuff for himself too, but stopped when he saw their bed - still unmade from when Steve left it all those days ago. Danny didn't know why, but it made him miss Steve even more. The bed was sort of like how Steve probably is now - normally well made, but currently a rumpled mess - and he shook his head with a smile as he straightened up the bedsheets before heading back downstairs.

* * *

Danny sighed as he pulled his bags out of the trunk of his rental car, and couldn't help but slam the door shut slightly harder than he normally would. The last few days were a blur of travelling and emotions for Danny, and he was  _so fucking tired - like seriously what day was it? -_ but he was finally at Joe's ranch.

From the outside, it looked exactly as he expected. The yard had burned out cars with bullet holes in them, there were bullet holes in the walls of the house, and then he clocked the pile of used guns  _(and is that an RPG?! Jesus Christ, Steve)_  on the porch. Danny shook his head, he didn't even want to imagine the fight that happened here that ended up taking the lives of two of Steve's friends.

But then the front door opened and Steve appeared, and Danny did a double take.

"St-Steve?"

Steve felt a huge feeling of relief wash over him at the sight and sound of Danny, and didn't think twice about letting the huge bag of trash slip out of his grip before he stumbled down the porch steps and across the yard. "Danno…"

Before Steve could get too close, Danny gently grabbed him by his biceps so he could inspect the damage. Working from the top, he had what looked like a(nother) bullet graze on his forehead, followed by a very unkempt beard that had more grey in it than Danny knew that Steve had. The grey t-shirt looked like it was probably the same one that he put on back in Hawaii, which meant that the rest of his clothes were likely to be of a similar origin. Steve's arms and hands were covered in dirt, and Danny could make out what he knew to be the knife injuries that Steve sustained in his kitchen. But more obvious than all of that was just how lost Steve looked.

"Hey," Danny smiled sadly at him. He reached up and thumbed away a smudge of dust from Steve's cheek. "Gotta say, I don't think the beard is gonna grow on me, babe."

The joke seemed to knock all of the stuffing out of Steve, who barked out a laugh that turned into a sob, and then Danny had all of 0.5 seconds to drop his bags before Steve sagged into his arms.

"Hey, I gotcha now. It's okay, babe." Danny whispered into Steve's ear, though he wasn't sure that he would hear him over his sobs that broke Danny's heart one second at a time. "That's it, just let it out."

Steve latched onto Danny with every last scrap of his energy, his beard tickling Danny's where his head was tucked. He didn't have any desire to let go, or any idea of how long his aching legs could keep standing for, but Steve knew that Danny would catch him if he fell. Just like always.

Eventually, Steve pulled back slightly while keeping his death grip on Danny's shirt with one hand and wiping his eyes with the other, before Danny took it in one of his smaller hands and carefully pressed a kiss to each knuckle that was covered in dried blood. "C'mon, let's go inside. You may have gotten away with living like a neanderthal, but I have to insist on a shower and brushing your teeth." Steve opened his mouth to protest, but one look at Danny and he closed it again, choosing instead to nod his head before letting Danny lead him back inside.

The bathroom was modest, big enough for a toilet, sink and a shower cubicle, and just about big enough for Danny and Steve to squeeze into. Danny dug out his toiletries bag, squeezed toothpaste onto toothbrush and thrust it into Steve's hand, and only when the brunette moved did Danny leave him to it.

"Better?" He asked when he came back, arms laden with fresh clothes and a towel, and Steve nodded with a sheepish look on his face that made Danny chuckle as he hung the clothes and towel on a radiator to warm up.

"Brushed 'em twice."

"Good. Now, c'mere." Steve crossed the two feet of distance between them and almost melted into the kiss that Danny pulled him into. He'd missed this  _so much._  "Hmm, even better." Danny winked at Steve, before turning to get the man's electric razor from his bag.

"Danny-"

"Steve, have you looked in the mirror lately?" Steve frowned, and glanced into the mirror that was hanging over the sink. And okay, maybe he didn't realise exactly how long the beard had gotten, or how much of it was made up of grey hair, and he guessed that his face gave away what his brain was thinking judging by the smirk on Danny's face.

Razor in hand, Steve took a deep breath before bringing it up to his face. He studiously ignored how close Danny was to him as the black and grey hairs fell into the sink, but at the same time Steve relished the warm and familiar hand on the small of his back.

"There," Danny sighed as he ran the tap and flushed the hairs away. "Now, shower, babe. I'll have dinner ready for when you're done, okay?"

Steve nodded, and nuzzled Danny's palm when his lover ran a hand over the much smoother skin of his cheek. "Thanks, Danny. I… I'm glad you're here."

* * *

Danny frowned as he searched the kitchen for anything that Steve would eat; he loved the man with everything he had but sometimes he could fight Charlie for the title of '#1 Fussiest Eater'. Then again, Danny realised as he dug some eggs from the back of the fridge, he himself could be just as fussy when he was having a hard time with life. Hell, the first month after Rachel left him he ate so much pizza that he didn't had to say his order, all of the staff knew what he wanted.

Danny had plated up the scrambled eggs, when he realised that he could still hear the water running from upstairs. He'd left Steve to his shower almost twenty minutes ago, whose idea of a 'long shower' is maybe a quarter of that.

Drumming his fingers on the kitchen counter, Danny slowly counted to ten in his head. When he finished and still couldn't hear any other noises bar the shower, he shook his head with a sigh before heading for the bathroom; and the sight that met him made him wish he'd never left.

Steve was huddled in a ball on the floor of the shower cubicle, his knees tucked against his chest as the hot water pounded down onto his curved back. His loud sobs - Danny had never seen or heard him cry this loud before, and that scared him - echoed in the small room.

"Steve!" Danny shoved the shower door open and dropped to his knees next to him, not caring that his clothes were steadily getting drenched as he pulled Steve into his arms. "Hey, c'mon. Hey.  _Hey._  It's me, Danno's here."

Steve could barely hear him, could barely hear anything. His body felt like it was floating, but heavy and anchored to the floor at the same time. He didn't think he could tell up from down if Danny asked him to. The grief over losing Joe needed an outlet and he's forced to finally  _feel it_ ; he's scared but he doesn't have any strength to push his emotions down.

Danny kept one arm around his shoulders as he stretched up and turned the shower off so he could at least hear himself think, before sitting back down and brushing Steve's hair from his forehead. "Sshh," Danny pressed soft kisses to the crinkles in the corner of Steve's eyes. "Danno's got you, okay? I'm here, baby."

"'m sorry, Danny," Steve spluttered, hands fiddling with the zip of Danny's hoodie. "Didn't w-want you to w-worry. Or get wet."

"You know me, I always worry." Danny took hold of Steve's hands. "As for getting wet, don't deny that you have a thing for me in wet clothes, you animal."

Steve smirked and raised his eyebrows, knowing full well that Danny was right, but the look was ruined somewhat when his whole body shuddered and sent little droplets of water everywhere.

"C'mon, we're moving before we get hypothermia from this damn shower," Danny grimaced as he helped Steve to his feet and out of the shower, his wet clothes squelching with every movement, and wrapped the large towel around Steve. "What am I gonna do with you, huh?" he said fondly as he set about drying Steve's hair with a smaller towel.

Steve hugged the towel close in a bid to stop shivering as he let Danny take care of him, remaining silent as the soft material was delicately rubbed over his face. The last time he felt like this was his first night on the mainland after his dad sent him away, and much like his sixteen year old self, he wanted his dad; hell, he even wanted his  _mom._ He just wanted  _someone_  who loved him and could make everything better. Fortunately for him, that  _someone_  was right there with him, slowly peeling the towel away from his body after leading him into the bedroom. Danny is here and it's safe to fall because Danny will catch him, always catches him.

"So, here's the plan. We're gonna get dressed, then eat, then I think you need some sleep, yeah?" Danny suggested calmly as he rubbed Steve's body dry, paying extra care to his bruises and sore spots.

"Yeah…" Steve sniffed. "Haven't really, uh, slept much."

"I thought so, babe," Danny pressed a tender kiss to the bullet wound over his left tattoo. "Keep replaying stuff in your head?"

Steve nodded, chin tucked to his chest. "'t's hard on your own, too."

"I wish you'd let me come out here with you, Steve." Danny gently chastised as he handed Steve the fresh tee and a pair of sweats, supporting him as he got dressed.

"Wanted to keep you safe. And you were with Grace, 't's important." Steve eyelids kept drifting shut as he let Danny get him in the bed and under the covers, and he couldn't hold back the sigh of relief as his muscles and body were finally on a soft surface.

Danny shook his head as he perched on the edge of the bed next to him. "Alright babe… I'm gonna get changed then get you some food, okay?"

Steve mumbled into his pillow, eyes already closed, and Danny chuckled as he swapped his soggy clothes for fresh ones before making his way back to the kitchen.

* * *

Steve didn't feel hungry at first, but before he knew it he was staring at his empty plate with a surprised look on his face. He followed Danny with his eyes as the other man put it to one side before he slid back under the covers and nudged Steve to lay down with him.

" _Oohhh,_ that's better," Danny moaned as he sunk into the mattress, helped by the weight of Steve's body that was half sprawled on top of his own and wrapped in his arms. "C'mon babe, c'mere. 've missed you."

Danny lazily drew random patterns on Steve's back with the fingers of one hand. He could already feel the pull of sleep, and he was  _so_  tempted, but just as he was about to give in Steve whimpered and tightened his hold on his shirt.

"Steve? Babe, you okay?" Danny asked.

"D-dunno," Steve shuddered. He tensed his whole body to try and stop the shaking, but it only seemed to make it worse. "I just… thank you for being h-here."

Danny hugged him tighter, hoping that his body heat and the duvet would provide a reassuring cocoon and help to calm him down. He figured that some sort of delayed shock would set in at some point, and Danny was glad that at least Steve wasn't alone - well, he hoped this hadn't happened before he got here, anyway, and quickly pushed the mental image of Steve having a panic attack while alone in this house out of his mind.

"Sshh, it's okay." Danny whispered as he ran his hands over Steve's body. "Keep talking to me, yeah? Tell me about anything."

Steve bit his bottom lip, and for a brief moment Danny wondered if he'd end up biting it off if he carried on shaking, but after a few moments he cleared his throat. "When I was with Joe, at the… at the end," he swallowed, "He made me look at the sunset, said how beautiful it was. And it was, Danny, really."

"Yeah?" Danny pressed a kiss to Steve's forehead.

"I wish… any other time, I'd have took you to that spot. Looked so romantic." Steve sighed and wiped at his eyes. "But at least he got to see it one last time…"

Danny nodded, his expression solemn, before gently coaxing Steve to look at him. "We'll get the guys that ordered the hit, Steve. Junior'll be here in a day or two, and I'm sure you know some Navy buddies who can help. And… I hate to say it, but with her CIA connections it might be worth calling Catherine to help us track down Greer."

"Sure you can play nice, Danno?" Steve's eyes had a twinkle in them, and Danny had never been more happy to see it than right at that moment.

"Hey, I will if she does." Danny stuck his tongue out, like the schoolchild he definitely was  _not._  "I'm not the one who messed you around, though."

Steve nuzzled Danny's face, the shaking finally subsiding thanks to the familiar banter. "I know, I know… Love you, Danny."

"Love you too, babe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here ends my "little" coda to 9.10. I'm not emotionally ready for 9.11 or 9.12, and I'm sure I'll end up writing coda's for both of them too haha. Hope everyone enjoyed, don't forget to kudos & comment!


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